China to go after online retail sales in fight against fakes

China plans to crack down on the sale of fake goods online by using cloud computing, big data and tighter rules on user identity in its latest moves to quash counterfeiting.

China has been trying to reign in its counterfeiters, who have copied everything from Apple iPhones to Louis Vuitton handbags, since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 and was required to adhere to global standards on intellectual property rights.

The country plans to eradicate intellectual property rights infringement on the internet within 3 years, it said in a posting by China’s cabinet on its official website on Saturday.

China will promote the use of a “real-name system” on the internet and electronic tags to make it easier to track goods and the identities of offenders, the statement said.

Inter-regional law enforcement will also be improved, it said, with a focus on sharing information amongst Beijing, Tianjin and the Yangtze River Delta, as well as other regions.

In a rare move, China singled out Walt Disney Co for special trademark protection on Thursday.

More than 40 percent of goods sold online in China last year were either counterfeits or of bad quality, the official Xinhua news agency reported earlier this week.